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2023 Best Value Colleges for Industrial Engineering (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region

22 Ranked Colleges
1,927 Degrees Awarded
Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking.

Industrial Engineering is the 87th most popular major in the country with 9,072 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, industrial engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $68,960 and had an average of $24,268 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 1,927 industrial engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $68,118 and $26,481 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 22 colleges that offer a degree in industrial engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great industrial engineering programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the industrial engineering program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 22 Best Value Colleges for Industrial Engineering (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region

1
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s IE degrees to 91 students in 2020-2021.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $5,849 for Great Lakes Region IE students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Northwestern University Industrial Engineering Report

2

Out of the 22 schools in the Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 296 ’s IE degrees in 2020-2021.

U-M not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend U-M is $10,481 for Great Lakes Region IE students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read full report on Industrial Engineering at U-M

3
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

Out of the 22 schools in the Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, this large public school handed out 369 diplomas to qualified ’s IE students in 2020-2021.

Purdue also made our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for Purdue University - Main Campus is $8,450 for Great Lakes Region IE students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Industrial Engineering at Purdue

4

Out of the 22 schools in the Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school handed out 150 diplomas to qualified ’s IE students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison is $10,364 for great lakes region ie students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Industrial Engineering at University of Wisconsin - Madison

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 110 ’s IE degrees in 2020-2021.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $11,505 for great lakes region ie students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Industrial Engineering at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

6

Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Columbus, Ohio, this large public school handed out 162 degrees to qualified ’s IE students in 2020-2021.

Ohio State also made our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State is $13,273 for Great Lakes Region IE students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Industrial Engineering at Ohio State

7

University of Michigan - Dearborn ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Michigan - Dearborn is a medium-sized public school situated in Dearborn, Michigan. It awarded 75 ’s IE degrees in 2020-2021.

UM Dearborn also made our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for UM Dearborn is $12,398 for Great Lakes Region IE students whose families make $48-$75k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UM Dearborn Industrial Engineering Report

8
Oakland crest
Oakland University
Rochester Hills, Michigan

Oakland University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Rochester Hills, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s IE degrees to 40 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region ie students whose families make $48-$75k list, Oakland has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Oakland is $12,008 for great lakes region ie students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Industrial Engineering at Oakland University

9

University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 67 ’s IE degrees in 2020-2021.

UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UIC is $14,105 for great lakes region ie students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Industrial Engineering at UIC

10
Wayne State crest
Wayne State University
Detroit, Michigan

Wayne State University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Wayne State University is a public institution located in Detroit, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 69 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region ie students whose families make $48-$75k list, Wayne State has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,612 for Great Lakes Region IE students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Wayne State.

Full Wayne State University Industrial Engineering Report

11

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well in the 2023 Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #11. Edwardsville, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s IE degrees to 53 students in 2020-2021.

SIUE not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $12,950 for great lakes region ie students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend SIUE.

Full SIUE Industrial Engineering Report

12

University of Wisconsin - Platteville ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. UW - Platteville is a public institution located in Platteville, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 49 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UW - Platteville not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Platteville is $13,699 for great lakes region ie students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Industrial Engineering at UW - Platteville

13

With a ranking of #13, Youngstown State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Youngstown State University is a fairly large public school situated in Youngstown, Ohio. It awarded 35 ’s IE degrees in 2020-2021.

Youngstown State University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Youngstown State University is $13,754 for great lakes region ie students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Industrial Engineering at Youngstown State University

14
WMU crest
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, Michigan

Western Michigan University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #14. Western Michigan University is a fairly large school located in Kalamazoo, Michigan that handed out 61 ’s IE degrees in 2020-2021.

WMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Western Michigan University is $20,840 for Great Lakes Region IE students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Industrial Engineering at Western Michigan University

15

Northern Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #15. NIU is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 70 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

NIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for NIU is $13,778 for Great Lakes Region IE students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full NIU Industrial Engineering Report

16

With a ranking of #16, Milwaukee School of Engineering did quite well on the 2023 Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Milwaukee School of Engineering is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It awarded 30 ’s IE degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region ie students whose families make $48-$75k list, MSOE has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Milwaukee School of Engineering is $18,854 for great lakes region ie students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full MSOE Industrial Engineering Report

17
Bradley crest
Bradley University
Peoria, Illinois

Bradley University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. This medium-sized school is located in Peoria, Illinois, and it awarded 17 ’s IE degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Bradley, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $23,286 for great lakes region ie students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Bradley University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Bradley Industrial Engineering Report

18

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee did quite well in the 2023 Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #18. Milwaukee, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s IE degrees to 23 students in 2020-2021.

UWM also made our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #21. The yearly cost to attend UWM is $17,606 for Great Lakes Region IE students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Industrial Engineering at UWM

19

Ohio University - Athens Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #19. Ohio University - Athens Campus is located in Athens, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 26 ’s IE degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our great lakes region ie students whose families make $48-$75k list, OHIO Athens has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Ohio University - Athens Campus is $23,509 for Great Lakes Region IE students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Industrial Engineering at OHIO Athens

20

Kent State University at Kent landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in Kent, Ohio, and it awarded 31 ’s IE degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region ie students whose families make $48-$75k list, Kent State has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Kent State is $19,508 for great lakes region ie students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Industrial Engineering at Kent State University at Kent

21

Lawrence Technological University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Southfield, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s IE degrees to 13 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region ie students whose families make $48-$75k list, Lawrence Tech has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Lawrence Technological University is $33,641 for great lakes region ie students whose families make $48-$75k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Industrial Engineering at Lawrence Tech

22
Kettering crest
Kettering University
Flint, Michigan

Kettering University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value IE Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Kettering University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Flint, Michigan. It awarded 25 ’s IE degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Kettering, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Industrial Engineering Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $30,405 for great lakes region ie students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Kettering.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Industrial Engineering at Kettering University

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